The Crazy Villain Regains His Sanity Chapter 48:

I couldnt believe they took my analogy seriously.

It was a bit sad that they didnt understand the humor behind it.

In the end, to clear up the misunderstanding, I chose to show them a scene of processing the monster core right there.

After warning people not to co closer, I began to inject Force into Nuris core.

Lee Myung-hak, who had been deeply frustrated, began to exclaim as if to say, how did this happen? as he gazed at Nuris core emitting light from my hand.

Oh, oh! Ohhh!

As he tried to get closer, he saw the Force waves flying and began to watch at a distance that did not affect him. And he surprisingly maintained that distance.

I began the processing, but it wasnt easier than when I did it with a level 6 monster core. While a significant portion of the level 8 core had been refined, impurities remained, and since all the Forces within the core had to be under my control, it consud a considerable amount of ntal energy.

If this level had this effect on , then other Awakened individuals should be firmly prepared.

Woong! Woong! Woong! Woong!

The waves of power emanating from Nuris core were formidable. I didnt know what the craftsn who process cores would call it, but I believed its the last struggle of the lingering remnants of the monsters consciousness.

The consciousness programd to be hostile to humanity resisted control to the end.

Its just the last struggle of a dead being.

However, the resistance was weaker than I had expected.

Maybe because I brainwashed Nuri before killing it. Or did I perhaps managed to ta it? I was not sure why, but I was able to lightly break down the weak resistance and then push in the Force to clear it my way. I learned from Heartworker, but unlike him, who did it with natural dexterity, I pushed away the resistance with Force.

The difference between and the Heartworker was that I carved pathways with overwhelming Force, whereas the Heartworker was more of a fine-tuner, chiseling out the optimal path.

Thats why my Force consumption was heavy.

This was why I needed to catch Heartworker quickly. He must be in Busan by now. I should take so ti to visit him.

After concentrating for about 30 minutes, I finally completed the processing. The Force inside the core seed to be moving more vigorously than before.

This this is.

Please check.

Carefully accepting Nuris core, Lee Myung-haks eyes lit up with ecstasy, which grew even larger as he asured the amount of Force in the core.

No way! It cant be this efficient

Its 156.9%. It turned out better than expected.

How did you do it? Ive never seen this kind of processing thod before.

Thats what Heartworker did in the future. It might be because he joined forces with a villain organization, but his skills were undoubtedly impressive.

In the end, the one trillion beca 1.569 trillion. I made quite a profit after just one processing.

Then please calculate based on the processed part.

Th-the processing thod, please!

It hasnt been established as a theory yet, but Ill explain it gradually.

Understood.

I was the only one who could do it now. Another reason to find Heartworker had erged.

Lee Myung-haks expression brightened. Now was a good timing to clear up any misunderstandings.

And

Yes.

I didnt really an for you to give up your life. You know that, right?

Yes.

The answer that ca after a short silence didnt sit well with .

***

They said that with this newly acquired level 8 core, we can power a whole power plant. And it can run longer than the ones previously processed.

The Presidents voice was filled with excitent. It had been a series of successes lately, including his recent rise in approval ratings.

The National Science Monster Research Institute wanted to use Choi Jun-hos processed heart for research, but the President imdiately had it installed in the power plant.

Due to the monsters, humanity lost more than half of its territory and was unable to operate nuclear power plants, leading to an energy crisis. However, if they could use a level 8 or higher monster core as a power source, they could restart an entire power plant.

More energy could support a larger population, potentially preventing the refugee crisis and reducing the growth of villains.

How did he learn to process monster core? Choi Jun-ho is like an onion. You peel him, and theres always more. I wonder what hell co up with next.

Arent you excited? Its like opening a gift box from your childhood.

Sotis, you get nothing.

Then I would cry out of disappointnt. Whats the worst that could happen here? How about sothing like, Choi Jun-ho was actually the Eraser?

That would be a disaster.

Just kidding.

The President laughed cheerfully, but Cheon Myeong-guk couldnt share the sa sentint. The very idea of such an assumption was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

Its hard not to speculate because of two Level 8 appearing around the sa ti. There hasnt been any ntion of the Eraser since their first appearance, so there might be a mistake. Or we misunderstood sothing, and it was really just Berserker. Even that Berserker has beco part of our forces through cooperation with Choi Jun-ho. Hes really quite the asset. A great asset indeed.

The President, still smiling, said to Director Cheon.

With the extra power, we can run a smart farm.

Well be able to produce more food.

Residential areas are important, but food cos first. We need to provide benefits to the essential workforce so they can be more efficient. That way, the frequency of refugee incidents will decrease.

The urban outskirts slumification has largely co to a halt.

Seoul is in the stable zone, so Busan is the problem.

But Mayor Yoo

Hes an ambitious figure, wanting to secure this position here.

Busan, the second-largest city after Seoul, had been expanding in recent tis, but behind the scenes, there was rapid growth of a villain organization.

The ambitions of Busans mayor align with the desires of these villains.

Its still at a manageable level, so let Mayor Yoo handle it.

It will beco a significant problem in a few years.

Before that, we just need to cut it off. Why dont we ask Choi Jun-ho to go there once before my term ends, and nip it in the bud?

Cheon Myeong-guk imagined the front sea of Busan turning red with blood.

By the way, if a single monster core can bring about so many changes, dont you think that if the guilds were a little less greedy, even more changes would happen?

You shouldnt look at it that way.

I know. Its a chicken and egg problem.

When guilds hunted monsters, most of the byproducts were reinvested into tools for hunting.

The President knew this was part of the process to hunt more monsters. However, sotis, when energy was scarce, seeking help from the guilds resulted in minimal cooperation.

He couldnt help but get the impression that the power of the guilds was slowly overwhelming the power of the state. What would happen when this process accelerated?

First, the governnt would be incapacitated. Then, the decisions of the major guilds would essentially beco the decisions of the nation.

Many governnts of various countries had already collapsed, and even now, organizations supported by the League were wreaking havoc, leading to near-civil-war conflicts in so nations.

But with Choi Jun-ho, the story would change.

Indeed, if we dont seize this opportunity, well be left behind forever. Lets proceed with the plan to establish a departnt above the three agencies. Lets capitalize on our current montum and actively steer the course of events in our favor.

The President had thought about using this opportunity to overturn the balance of power between the governnt and the large guilds.

***

The place I headed to in search of Heartworker was Busan.

Since the appearance of monsters, local exchanges had beco more active, and Busan had risen in status as the dominant city in the Gyeongsangnam-do region.

Busan strengthened its influence over neighboring cities and thrived through exchanges with Japan, and the results were successful.

To be precise, it would be accurate to say that it was disguised as a success.

Behind this, there was hidden booming black-market trade and the rapid growth of villain organizations.

The Heartworker I was looking for, Kim Jong-hyun, was a craftsman who processed monster cores. His ability to process monster cores was so exceptional that he was recognized everywhere.

Still, hes been wandering the streets because of his poor writing and his penchant for won. My goal is to catch him, bring him back to Seoul, and turn him into a normal person.

He told in my previous life that he had been active in Busan during his youth and then ca up to Seoul, so it wasnt difficult to find him.

I t him on his way ho from delivering goods to the black market.

A Heartworker with a young mans face was approaching.

Heartworker Kim Jong-hyun.

I am Kim Jong-hyun, but whats a Heartworker? Who are you?

You still dont go by that na?

He looked at warily.

Well, for , it had been 20 years since we last t. Heartworker and I were the sa age. So, he must have just started working.

Its a familiar face. Have we t sowhere before?

You might have seen my face on TV.

TV? No way!

He belatedly recognized my face and was shocked. He quickly looked around. Whether he thought its disadvantageous or not, his first thought was to flee, just as it was back then and now.

Dont worry, I didnt co to kill you.

Ive never done anything to deserve to be killed.

I know, but you do have a record of supplying goods to the black market.

Im not here to discuss that. Just co with .

If I refuse, are you going to kill ?

Heartworker, who flatly refused in one stroke, subtly shifted the center of his body backward. Hes got so kind of misunderstanding. He never had a choice from the beginning.

I didnt ntion this. But if you dont co, youll die.

I havent done anything wrong, so why are you trying to kill ?!

Youve been supplying goods to the black market, right? Villains manage the black market, so youre supplying goods to villains. That makes you a villain too.

You just said youre not here to discuss that!

I changed my mind.

Decide right here and now.

If he continued to be stubborn to the end, I really intended to kill him. The monster core he supplied ultimately made the local villain organization, Jagalchi, stronger.

In the future, the villainous organization Jagalchi grew into a large enough organization to take over the economy of Busan.

Damn it! Why are you doing this to soone who barely earns enough to eat each day!

Its because I need your skills. I can take you to Seoul and give you a job. Dont you want to go to Seoul?

What on earth is this job that you need my skill?

Should we continue talking here?

Follow .

I followed the Heartworker to a shabby space about three square ters. He was probably using it as a workshop.

So, why does our esteed Transcendent want to take with him?

As I ntioned before, I need your abilities. Specifically, your processing skills.

Heh, youre saying my skills are that needed?

But if youre unfortunate enough to refuse, Ill kill you.

Look at this.

I handed Heartworker the level 6 core I processed from the monster I caught during a brief stroll before coming to Busan.

His eyes widened at the sight of the Force flowing through it.

How did you do this? No, how did you manage this?

Its a skill youll need to learn when you co to Seoul.

Youre going to teach ?

Yes. And Ill admit your mother to the Sacred Hospital as well.

..!

Heartworkers eyes widened, then returned to normal, and he sighed heavily.

Well, if you ca looking for , you must have investigated . I suppose this favor is because of my abilities, right?

Exactly. In return, youll have to learn diligently.

Thats only natural.

I wasnt worried about his abilities. Since it was a technology he had created, he would quickly catch up.

Then when should we go?

Thats not as easy as it sounds. You know I supply the black market, and the villains there are quite protective of . If I leave without telling them, theyll co looking for all the way to Seoul.

Then Ill just have to kill them all.

Thats the simplest solution.

Heartworker was shocked.

Youre really being quite harsh with your words. Was the personality you displayed on the broadcast your real one? Well, those villains, even though theyre classified as such, arent necessarily bad people. So of them have been kind to , and Id like to part with them amicably.

There were villains in the world who werent bad?

Are you going to talk to them?

Well, I suppose I can try?

It didnt seem like they would let go easily. I had been a villain myself, so I knew they could be quite possessive. They had a deep-rooted belief that whats mine was mine, and whats yours was also mine. And once sothing was in their grasp, they would do whatever it took to never let go. Theyd rather die holding onto it than give it up to soone else.

Perhaps if they knew Heartworkers skills, theyd never let him go.

After so thought, I said, Then lets go together.

Together?

Because if we go together, maybe the villains wont be so unwilling to let you go.

If I, a Transcendent, said it, they might give in willingly.

Heartworker might have thought the sa.

He nodded obediently.

Alright.

***

Arriving at Busan Harbor, Heartworker and I headed for the villains hideout where he had been making deliveries.

Heartworker t with the person in charge there, and when he inford them that he was going to Seoul, a firm response ca back.

No, you cant go.

No, boss. Last ti, you said I could go when I wanted to

Do you believe those words? Do we look like pushovers? Did you think wed just send you off if you said you wanted to go?

Sigh.

Heartwalker let out a deep sigh. The villain spoke soothingly to him in a soft voice.

Youre doing well here too, arent you? Is it because of the money? Ill talk to the boss and make sure you get a little more, so lets keep doing well. Okay? Weve been doing well, havent we?

Alternating between carrots and threats made it impossible for him to leave on his own.

I, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward.

Stop it and let him go.

As a Level 8 Transcendent, if I spoke, they should understand

Whats this? Whos this guy?

Who are you to step in? Huh? Do you want to die?

The result of my intervention was pitiful.

They didnt recognize and instead laughed while making feeble threats.

Wait a minute

Heartworkers face, which had been watching this whole scene, turned pale. Perhaps he anticipated what would happen next.

Well, I began to reflect a bit.

I figured that being a state-certified Transcendent and capturing Nuri would make the villains recognize my face. They would almost certainly run away without looking back, so I was worried about how to catch them in the future. I even considered wearing a disguise, but it should be fine to go like this.

My na is Choi Jun-ho.

What?

The villains hesitated.

Hyung-nim, now that I think about it, wasnt the Transcendent who captured Nuri recently nad Choi Jun-ho?

He- Head Breaker?

The sa demon who turned Jung Da-hyun into the nacing Woman?

The villains pupils began to shake violently.

I took a step toward the door, blocking their retreat.

Thats .